The Bachelorette franchise is “over,” at least according to Rachel Lindsay, who starred on the reality dating series in 2017.
Lindsay made the dire prediction on the Thursday, March 19 episode of the “Bachelor Party” podcast with Juliet Litman and Callie Curry.
The Bachelorette alum’s comment came on the same day Disney and ABC canceled season 22 of the series — just three days before the new season was scheduled to premiere.
The decision stemmed from a disturbing 2023 video that leaked showing lead Taylor Frankie Paul kicking and throwing metal chairs at ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. One of the chairs reportedly hit Taylor’s then-five-year-old daughter, leaving a bump on her head.
Taylor is a famous mom influencer and stars on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
She was supposed to bring new energy and new viewers to The Bachelorette, thanks to her massive social media presence and reality TV roots. Instead, the franchise appears to be so damaged by the scandal that it may not recover, Lindsay said.
“I think it’s over,” Lindsay shared on the podcast. “I was trying to think of a scenario where it could be different, because this isn’t just, ‘Oh, we put it all on a person. This person did this.’ This is the system that allowed this to happen.”
She said someone will probably get fired for the decision to cast Taylor on the show, considering she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2023, and the details can easily be found online.
Taylor and Dakota are also both under investigation by the Utah Division of Children and Family Services for another incident earlier this year.
While Rachel said she feels for everyone involved, she believes the scandal has left the franchise too “tainted” to continue.
“This is bad. This is bad for Taylor, personally. This is bad for her children. This is bad for The Bachelorette as a franchise. This is bad for Disney. This is bad for Hulu, because somebody is going to have to take the blame for not vetting this out,” she said.
A spokesperson for Disney Entertainment Television confirmed the show was shelved after TMZ published the violent video.
“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Variety reported “ABC will lose tens of millions of dollars,” including license fees to Warner Bros., which produces the show, if the season doesn’t air.
Meanwhile, Taylor issued a statement through a rep, saying she is putting her family first.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security. After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” the statement read.
You can listen to the podcast here. Rachel Lindsay discusses the franchise’s future at the 19-minute mark.
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